Lunatics
by BridgerSkywalker
Summary: After landing on a rural moon in order to get one simple device, Ezra finds himself captured by pirates and sold into a world of trouble.
1. Just a Run

**AN:** And hello again. So, I started working on this piece before the finale. Obviously because Kanan isn't you know… _that_ and all that other stuff hasn't happened yet. This isn't going to be many chapters. Two of three, and I'm not even really referring to them as chapters, but as parts. Here is part one! Please review and let me know what you think and I'll give you part two as soon as possible!

Part One

" _Just a Run"_

Rural moons weren't really Ezra's thing.

It's not that he had anything against them honestly; he just didn't really like to visit them. They were always swarming with outlaws and the undesirables, not that the crew was any different in the eyes of the empire. But, they weren't outlaws per se. They weren't pirates or traffickers. They were rebels. They were fighting for a cause. Outlaws were fighting for nothing but a quick buck and some bartering.

He hadn't had experience with these types of people until he had boarded the Ghost such a long time ago. He had handle Imperials on Lothal, but these kinds of people…They were a different story. Even different than Hondo really, because Hondo was a pirate yes, but he wasn't ruthless and murderous.

He was _fair…_ Well, at least as fair as Hondo could be.

Humane.

Kind of.

So as soon as Ezra had realized they would be stopping on the rural moon, he was more than anxious. Kanan had told him it would be a quick stop. They needed to dip in, grab a heat generator, and dip out. In a few days they would be heading to a cold system. Not that Ezra knew what system that was, but he didn't guess he wanted to. Cold was cold and he hated the cold so screw the cold.

That was his motto.

He trailed silently behind Zeb, Sabine, and Kanan. Hera and Chopper had stayed behind with the ship. They all knew leaving the ship unattended in this territory would bring nothing but a headache. Pirates would scrap parts from it, and they would find themselves looking for more than just a heat generator.

Still, even with his crew in front of him, all armed with their respective weapons…Ezra felt…Uneasy. Maybe it was the fact that the market place they had just entered was swarming with people that looked like they were ready to eat him alive. Maybe it was because the sun was blaring down so harshly and making the sand spring back full force. In any case…He was sick to his stomach with worry and anxiety.

"Kanan," Ezra spoke suddenly, throat a little dry. "I…Don't feel so good about this place."

His master glanced back, seeming to understand. Maybe he felt it too. The shroud of mischief in the Force that hung over the entire market. The child didn't know how to process it, but Kanan obviously knew what they were dealing with. His attire was different today, a large coat, almost like a pirate's really and Ezra had never seen him wear it. Maybe he was trying to play the part of one? He was doing really well.

Kanan didn't get a chance to reply to Ezra's concern before Zeb chuckled, "I think the kid is scared."

"Don't worry, Ezra," Sabine said from under her helmet as Ezra glared at Zeb. "Kanan used to deal with pirates all the time."

Ezra raised an eyebrow, "You did?"

The conversation seemed less than interesting to Kanan and the man only rolled his eyes. He glanced over his shoulder, telling Ezra, "Ignore the unease. It's just how it feels around these types of people. They're all…Unsteady. Their hearts are ungrounded, which makes us feel the same."

"I just…" Ezra paused, rubbing the back of his sweaty neck that was burning from the sun. He should have taken Hera's advice to wear something over his head. "They're so lost. They're...confused."

Zeb laughed loudly, "They know exactly what they're doing, Kid. Trust me. They're the scum of the galaxy. Not as low as the Empire, but a close second."

"In any case, we have to deal with them," Sabine spoke. "So let's stop insulting them before someone hears us and we can't get any trading done."

A silence overwhelmed the group and Ezra slipped back into his thoughts. It almost felt weightless really walking among these people. The people with no ties to galaxy, no heart in it. He hated the empathy portion of Force at the moment, his ability to feel things within the air and the lives of others, because it could be devastating at times. Right now though, Kanan's presence was bearing down on him like teeth. His master was obviously trying to consume Ezra in an attempt to block out the corrupt around them.

Tents lined the market; making is obvious the moon was a moon for traveling traders. None of these pirates stayed long. They must move from moon to moon, system to system. Trading and stealing and plundering. That was what they did. They never stayed still for long from what Ezra understood. Which is what made them so unsettled. So unnerving.

Unhinged.

Ezra gasped when a hand wrapped around his upper arm, pulling him close to someone. He looked up with wide eyes, seeing a woman peering down at him. She had neatly curled hair, her skin a soft glow from the sun beating down on them. But, her eyes…Her eyes looked crazed and untamed as she held Ezra close, fingers winding through his hair and yanking his head so far back he thought his neck would crack.

"Pretty eyes," She whispered. "You have some beautiful orbs, Baby. The brightest I've seen in years."

"Hey!" Kanan's voice shouted and suddenly she was being shoved off and Ezra was being pulled back, Kanan's arm wrapped around his chest protectively. He snapped, "Keep your hands to yourself, lady."

The woman who had been shoved had to lift herself up off the sandy ground with a huff. Ezra noticed a chain wrapped around her ankle, keeping her in one place. His eyes widened with the realization she was a slave…Someone's prisoner.

Ezra hadn't even realized Sabine had her blaster pointed at the woman. Everyone in the market seemed to continue to go about their business unhindered by the slight commotion. Zeb waved his hand as Sabine dismissively, "Eh, drop it. She's a slave."

The woman stomped her foot and said, "Well, excuse me for wanting to help customers."

"You grabbed our kid," Kanan growled defensively. "You'll have to pardon us if we don't exactly find that to be quality customer service."

She smirked slightly, her anger gone in an instant as she looked down at Ezra once more, "Well, he does have pretty eyes. I couldn't help but notice them. So, so pretty. Where is he from? You buy him nearby?"

Ezra looked offended, "I'm not a slave."

She raised an eyebrow, "I didn't assume. But, your daddy here doesn't seem to have a wifey with him, considering the mandalorian is too young to be your mommy. I was insinuating your mother was bought."

Ezra gritted his teeth, but didn't say anymore. There was clearly no arguing with the woman and the suggestion made him sick to his stomach. He felt Kanan grip his arm comfortingly, obviously able to feel his anger through the Force.

The woman sighed and went on, "Anyway, is there anything I can help you with? We have quite the selection of goods here."

Kanan hesitated, but Ezra could tell he had grown tired of wandering the market and the quicker they found their heat generator, the better. Just as he was about to open his mouth, the slit to the tent behind the woman opened slowly.

Ezra watched as a man emerged. He couldn't be any older than Kanan, and in actuality was probably somewhat younger. He was nowhere near his thirties, no wrinkles marring his face. Inky hair fell in his eyes and a devilish smile formed on his lips at the sight of the group. He was smoking something, puffing the grey out between his lips as he approached the woman and placed a hand on her shoulder.

He had a dark billowing coat, so much like the long one Kanan was wearing. A pirate. Obviously a pirate. He grinned, speaking to the woman, "Thank you, Melevance. But, I can take our guests from here."

She bowed in a respectful manner and disappeared into the tent, the chain reaching just far enough for her to go inside. The man turned his attention back to the crew and Ezra stared up with wide, amazed eyes. A pirate. Not like Hondo, but a real pirate.

Not that Hondo wasn't a real pirate but, eh…Ezra had his doubts sometimes.

"Slave owner, I presume?" Kanan asked, distaste on his face.

The man shrugged, putting out the thing he had been smoking on the metal table beside him before sticking his hands in his pockets. He answered nonchalantly, "Holding her for a friend. She's just a temporary. Though, slave trading isn't exactly out of the ordinary here. You're in one of the hotspots."

"It's hot alright," Zeb muttered under his breath, obviously just as uncomfortable as Ezra in the heat.

The man laughed before turning his attention to Kanan and asking, "Is there anything I can help you with, pal?"

Kanan raised an eyebrow at the pal part before explaining, "We're looking for a heat generator. We're heading to a colder system soon, and we're going to need something stronger than just our general heating setup."

The man whistled at the request, "Well, you didn't exactly come to a good moon for such as that you know? It feels like Mustafar out here but…I may be able to help you."

The inky haired man turned and began to dig through several of the boxes behind him. It was only a moment later that he turned back around, holding a large cube in his hands. Ezra had never seen heat generator, but he guessed it was one from the look of satisfaction on Kanan's face.

His guardian asked, "How many credits?"

His cackle was an unnerving answer and Ezra looked up at Kanan with wide eyes. Kanan's face remained neutral, though annoyance was trying desperately to make an appearance. The pirate shook his head, plopping the machine down on the table before saying, "Listen, pal. You're in the outer rim. On a rural moon. Filled with _pirates._ People who plunder. Credits aren't what we go for, understand? We barter. Trade."

He paused; looking down at Kanan's hip before gesturing towards it, "That fine laser sword of yours though would be a good deal."

"No deal," Kanan hummed, crossing his arms over his chest.

The pirate looked disappointed, "I'll throw in a few toys for the kid to play with, eh?"

"I'm not a kid," Ezra snapped. The pirate looked down at him, grinning widely. It seemed like a genuinely entertained smile, not like the scary slave woman's that had looked like the smile of someone sadistic.

He reached out and pinched Ezra's cheek, only for his hand to be smacked away by Zeb who stepped forward protectively. The pirate held up his hands in surrender, cackling again. He spoke, "I'm only playing, Lasat. No reason to feel unnerved."

However, before anyone had a chance to respond, something dark crossed over the man's eyes. He was peering over their shoulders, and Ezra looked back, seeing a group of men eyeing them closely. One man in particular had his eyes trained closely on Ezra's lightsaber.

Ezra swallowed thickly, turning back to look at the pirate. The man had his shoulders tight and his hands clenched. Ezra blinked several times in the bright sunlight to see if he was seeing correctly. The pirate that had been nothing but smiles had suddenly turned into a completely different person…Dark.

The man picked up the generator, shoving it at Kanan's chest before saying, "I'll take the credits. You just get that kid off this bloody moon, understand?"

Kanan looked confused, but nodded anyway, handing over the credits. The wind whipped the inky hair into the man's face as he looked down at Ezra. The crew turned, beginning to walk away, Ezra about to trail behind when the man grabbed his arm tightly, making him cringe in slight discomfort.

"Remember the name Cassius," The man hissed in his ear before pushing him away hurriedly towards his crew that were going towards the outskirts of the market. Ezra looked back with wide eyes at the man, who was now glaring at the group of men on the other side of the market. Ezra swallowed thickly, rushing to catch up with the others who had a quick pace all on their own.

Once in ear shot of the others, Ezra heard Sabine say in a low tone, "That was weird…"

"Yeah," Kanan said, looking over to make sure Ezra was still with them. Ezra was chewing his lip, unable to focus as anxiety riddled his bones. "Don't worry, kid. He's probably off his rocker."

"Yeah…" Ezra muttered, holding his arms close to his chest. But, still…Something didn't feel right and the closer they got to the outskirts and the less populated area of the market, the more nervous he felt. His hands were sweating and his heart hammered in his ribs. He wondered if Kanan could feel it.

He wondered if his fear was hurting him.

Soon enough, they were far enough out that the market was disappearing behind them. They had been careful to park the ship far away from the market and all of the other ships, mostly for precautionary purposes. Not that Hera couldn't hold her own, but if a swarm of pirates decided to overrun the Ghost, the woman would be slightly helpless.

Then the fear hit Ezra's gut again.

 _Lost._

 _Confused._

 _Unsteady._

 _Unnerved._

 _Unhinged._

They were being followed.

Ezra opened his mouth to say it, but before he could he found his body numb and he had a mouth full of sand. His body hit the ground so hard, the sound was almost nauseating with a thud. The world began to spin and whirl around him, turning into different colors as the many suns blinded him and he rolled onto his back. His shoulder blade stung from where the stun blast had hit him and he could feel it setting in, consciousness slipping away with each passing minute. He tried to open his throat for a scream, but nothing would escape and fear was beginning to eat him whole.

" _Ow, ow, ow, Kanan…Kanan."_ He thought to himself, trying to focus enough to see. But, it was useless, the world was fading and fading fast and all he could see of his master was the whirl of his saber moving back and forth, deflecting blasts.

That's when he heard a roar and screams.

And everything was gone.

* * *

It felt like iron had been put over his bones.

Every limb had a feeling of sadistic pain and Ezra's eyes almost refused to open and let him see the world around him. Like cement had them held shut and planned to keep things that way until he decided to slip back into nothingness. Like…His mind had woken, but the paralysis in his body was still in effect.

Ezra groaned, only to jolt to the side when his body convulsed and vomit exited his mouth. It burned and he kept his eyes closed as he coughed and gagged to the right of him, his stomach emptying the contents of Hera's wonderful breakfast that morning.

God, he felt terrible.

When Ezra's eyes finally opened, he found the room he was in to be only dimly lit with a small lamp on the far wall. Before him was a set of bars, like an old timey prison cell that would only be in a child's book now.

The floor was cold cement and the wall covered in cinderblocks. The air was so dry and stuffy that Ezra felt like he was sweating right through his clothing. Where was the crew? Were they alive? Were they alright? Ezra tried to reach out into the Force, but as soon as he did another wave of nausea hit him and he found himself trying to breathe deeply.

His attention was diverted from his sickness when he heard a quiet sob to his right. Looking up, Ezra saw what appeared to be a young woman, several years older than himself. Ezra's eyebrows furrowed and he pushed himself up onto his hands a knees, coming to the conclusion he wasn't the only prisoner in this room. She appeared to be a Twi'lek, like Hera. Her skin was green and she was dressed in a white jumpsuit. Upon further inspection, Ezra found himself to be dressed in a white jumpsuit as well.

And his lightsaber was gone.

"What the…" Ezra began, throat itchy from the air and puking. He looked back at the woman who was curled into the corner and he asked quietly, "Ma'am? Are you ok?"

She didn't answer, only let out another sob. Ezra wanted to approach her, but he didn't think he could stand without falling over at this point. They had definitely drugged him with something out there after stunning him into unconsciousness.

"Hey," Ezra called out. "I know you're…You know…Upset right now. But, could you tell me what's happening?"

The woman made no sign that she could hear him and Ezra sighed in defeat, falling down onto his bottom. He didn't get to stay that way for long though before he heard a loud door in front of the bars open and two long shadows casted themselves across the floor.

He immediately heard a man speak, sounding almost giddy, "How much do you think we'll get for them? Probably enough to buy ourselves a five class ship!"

There was a loud smack and Ezra knew that someone had smacked someone else as a deeper voice responded, "Shut up. It's not _we_. You may have captured that stupid Twi'lek, but I caught the _Jedi._ "

Ezra felt his heart fall into his stomach and his eyes burn. Oh God…How did they know?

"Psh," The giddy one scoffed. "There's no proof that little twerp is a Jedi. The religion is long dead."

"Then explain the laser sword. Even if he's not, he was carrying one, which is something we can use to get more bids in the auction. Now, come on, it starts in five and I don't want to keep our bidders waiting."

Ezra watched with wide eyes as the two figures approached the cell door, unlocking it. Ezra went to rush them, but only leaned forward an inch before the world began to spin once more. Ezra groaned loudly, sitting back on his bottom and flinched as the Twi'lek began to scream in a shrill expansion as one of the men approached her.

"Shut up, scum!" The man with the deep voice shouted, smacking her across the face.

Ezra felt anger within him as he snapped aggressively, "Hey! Back off her!"

The man with the deep voice snapped his head in Ezra's direction and Ezra realized he had seen him before. Back at the market, he was one of the men that had been staring at them as they were buying the generator. One of the men that had made the pirate very uneasy and the reason they were sent away so quickly.

The man's arms were probably bigger than Ezra's head and his skin was a deep shade of blue. Ezra didn't know what kind of species he was, but he had a feeling it didn't matter in this situation. He was obviously deadly. Ezra gasped when the other man grabbed the front of his white jumpsuit and cackled in his face, "Baby has some spirit!"

The blue man sneered, "It won't last long. Not when he is bought."

Ezra gulped as he looked up at the giddy man. He too had blue skin with a tuft of hair on his head. He was scrawny compared to the other though, his teeth crooked in every direction. Ezra felt pain radiate through him as he was pulled up and began to get dragged from the cell, hearing the woman screaming as she too was dragged out.

" _Kanan, where are you? Where are you guys? Help me…Please."_

Though Ezra wouldn't say it out loud, he was terrified in the moments as he was dragged through several corridors and ripped out into the bright sunlight. The woman's screaming didn't make it any better and he realized he was on a platform, dozens of bodies surrounding them and watching. The muffled world erupted into one of chaos as he was forced to kneel on the platform and the screaming woman was placed beside him. He wanted to comfort her, but right now he was having trouble comforting himself, especially with all of these faces surrounding them. Faces of pirates. Of traffickers.

Ezra swallowed thickly, wanting so badly to push himself up and run, but finding himself unable to stand. Whatever drugs they had given him made it nearly impossible to think and focus, and especially made it impossible to use the Force. But, also impossible to make his limbs listen to what he wanted them to do.

"Hello, my lovely gentlemen!" The giddy man shouted, causing laughter to fall over the crowd. Funny how they knew they weren't gentlemen and didn't care, but Ezra didn't give a damn right now. Right now he needed to get out.

But, all of his focus was in staying sitting up and trying not to break down like the woman beside him.

"I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting, but we're ready to begin our bidding!" The giddy one went on, and Ezra gasped when he felt a boot press into his back suddenly, almost making him lose balance. "We'll start with this young man here. Taken in just this morning, we found little boy wielding a _laser sword_."

An awed murmur fell over the crowd and Ezra shut his eyes to hide his terror.

"One can only assume what this means, but we believe he's a practicer of the old religion! Making him quite the valuable find if you ask us. Now, I know most of us on the outer rim are used to the good ol' trade and go system, but today we're betting credits to fund my colleague and I's endeavors. So, we'll start the bidding at fifty credits!"

"Fifty!" A hand shot up and Ezra flinched. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. People bidding for him. It seemed so…prehistoric to think about trafficking and slavery, but it was real and it was happening in the galaxy. And all of sudden he was defenseless to it because of some hardcore drugs.

"Hundred!"

The numbers continued to rise and Ezra looked over at the woman who had her hands folded and her eyes closed. Her mouth was moving in some kind of prayer and Ezra wished so much that he could reach the Force at this moment and comfort himself as well, but the Force was faded into a fog of drugs and terror.

"Two-Hundred!"

"Five-Hundred!"

There was a silence that fell over the crowd and Ezra knew…He knew this was it. He was about to be sold to a man standing on the front row. A man with a scar down the middle of his face, a cattle prod on his hip…A sickening grin on his mouth looking up into Ezra's eyes…Ezra shut his eyes tightly, trying to reach for his master through their bond, but only feeling nausea in his attempt.

" _Kanan…Save me."_

" **Five thousand!"**

A quiet gasp fell over the crowd and Ezra's eyes snapped open to see the man who had bet five-hundred was currently glaring behind him at someone deeper in the crowd. Ezra watched as several people moved aside and the person who came into view was everything familiar.

The pirate who had sold them the generator…He was here.

The giddy man grinned widely at the man, greeting, "Well, if it isn't Cassius. I didn't think you were the bidding type."

" _Remember the name Cassius."_

Ezra blinked…This guy… _his_ name was Cassius.

The man shoved his hands in the pockets of his long pirate coat and he shrugged, dark hair still hanging in his face and squared off in the back, "Not usually. But, I took an interest in this one."

Cassius then turned to the crowd and called, "Is anyone going over five-thousand!?"

No one spoke and Cassius smirked, turning back to the giddy man before saying, "I'll take that as a no." Cassius dug through his pocket a long moment, Ezra watching as he pulled out a box and handed it over to the giddy man before continuing, "I think you'll find all of your credits there. Thank me later."

Giddy man seemed shell shocked by the contents of the box and looked up quickly at the man. Ezra was trying hard to stay upright, but in an instant Cassius was reaching up onto the platform and putting his hands under Ezra's arms, lifting him and standing him up in front of him. Ezra swayed on his feet, though Cassius kept his hands under his arms to keep him upright.

Cassius then said, "And the laser sword, I'd like that too."

"W-What?" The giddy man snapped, and Ezra noticed for the first time the man was wearing it on his own hip. "That wasn't in the sale!"

"I just gave you five-thousand for a boy only worth a hundred," Cassius snapped, eyes narrowing and growing dark much like they had before when he first saw the man watching their crew. "TuTo, give me that laser sword or I'll have some very unkind people on your ass."

The giddy man…TuTo seemed to consider this. This obviously wasn't the first time he had dealt with Cassius; Ezra had realized that several moments before. The man ripped the weapon from his belt and threw it to Cassius, who caught it with ease and clipped it to his own belt.

"Thanks," Cassius said, the same light returning to his eyes and Ezra didn't think he had ever seen someone who changed emotions so quickly.

In a matter of seconds, Ezra was being led from the large room and away from the platform. He wanted so much to go back for the woman who was now being bided for, but he knew he was no good to anyone in this state. It made the rage well within him and burn brighter than any fire. Cassius kept him walking though, hands tight on the boy's arms as his feet dragged.

To Ezra's surprise, they didn't return to the market place. Instead when they exited the building he found himself in an unfamiliar portion of the moon, one they hadn't yet explored and he had yet to see. The blinked hard in the sunlight, cringing beneath its heat as it made him want to vomit once more.

Ezra noticed they were approaching a small village; it too covered in little tents. That made Ezra uneasy because…If there were small camps and markets all over this moon like the last one, how in the galaxy was the crew going to find him? How would they know one from the other?

No one paid them much mind as they went through the market area and entered what was Cassius' tent, just in a different location. The woman from earlier was there, crushing what looked to be green herbs before pouring them into a bowl. She smiled at the sight of Ezra, exclaiming, "Ah! Pretty eyes!"

"Leave him alone, Melevance," Cassius ordered, helping Ezra to sit on one of the pillows. Ezra looked around in a daze, taking in the tent. It was a small space, yet bigger than he imagined somehow. The roof was quite high and he felt like it was much cooler than the world outside. There was a tiny coffee table where the woman was stirring a bowl of something and the floor was covered with fabric to keep the sand off of them.

Ezra blinked in confusion as Cassius pressed a hand to Ezra's forehead, continuing his statement, "He has had quite a trying twenty-four hours."

"Poor baby," Melevance hummed, making a sad face. Ezra glared in her direction at the mockery.

"No fever," Cassius said. "That's a good sign. You thirsty?"

Ezra nodded hurriedly, his itchy throat speaking for itself. Cassius held out a hand and Melevance handed over a small canteen, which Cassius handed to Ezra. Ezra drank the water gratefully, immediately feeling his head begin to clear a bit.

"Thank you," Ezra breathed as Cassius took the water away. The young man sat in front of Ezra on his bottom now, no longer kneeling before him. Ezra went on, "Thank you…For you know, getting me out of there."

"Ah, it was easy," Cassius said. "Though…That was the last of my credits."

Ezra's eyes widened and he looked sorry. Truly sorry. He rubbed his hands together and he said, "My crew, we've got some stuff you could have. We could give it to you to make up the money you lost."

Cassius smiled, "What is your name?"

Ezra looked taken aback by the off topic question, and he was hesitant to answer. Even though the man had helped him, he wasn't quite positive he wanted to tell him. He was still a pirate after all, but he had told Hondo his real name and no real damage had come from it…

"Ezra," He answered, without really realizing he had. "It's Ezra."

"Ezra, hm?" Cassius mused, rubbing his chin. "Mine's Cassius, though I guess you knew that. But, it's important we get acquainted with one another."

Ezra's eyebrows furrowed as Melevance handed over something behind Cassius' back that he continued to keep concealed from view. Ezra felt his shoulders tense in distrust as something suddenly slammed into him.

These are pirates.

He _can't_ trust. Not here.

"Why?" Ezra asked warily.

Cassius' smile was actually something of slight guilt. Like a child caught stealing form a cookie jar. He sighed deeply, responding, "To pay me back for getting you out of your predicament, I'm going to need help with something. Something that I can't do alone. Something only a little Jedi like yourself can do."

"I'm not-" Ezra began but Cassius shushed him.

"You have a laser sword," Cassius said. "You were with a man who also had a laser sword. Now, I'm no expert on the religion, but I'd say that's a master and an apprentice relationship. He's not your papa. So, he's your teacher."

Ezra couldn't speak and Cassius went on…

"So you're going to help me get something back that was stolen from me, and then I'll let you go back to your little friends. Until then, you're my slave. I bought you. You belong to me and you do as I say."

Before he could respond, Cassius surged forward, digging a syringe into his neck. Ezra gasped, the world swirling and pain shooting down his spine as it felt like his soul was being ripped out through his eyes.

Then he was floating on air.

* * *

 **AN:** So what do you think? I let my sister read it, and she asked if Cassius had meant for Ezra to be captured in the first place or not. What do you think? You think that was the intention, or nah? Or any ideas on what was stolen from him? I just always like to hear what you guys think. Anyway, hope you liked it, leave a review! :)


	2. Windy Days

**AN:** I always love to read all of your reviews, and I'm glad you all enjoyed the first part. I wanted to get this part up as soon as possible because I'm going back to school tomorrow, so I know that I'll probably get super busy. Oh well, enjoy part two and leave a review on what you think! I love seeing you guys theorize on Cassius and his motives. Enjoy!

Part Two

" _Windy Days"_

Ezra woke less than coherent.

It wasn't as bad as when he woke up in the cell; that was for sure. Didn't quite feel like he had been drugged with a sedative, but rather some kind of relaxer. He felt some kind of suppression on his skull, pushing down with might and he had no will to fight against it. This time, instead of feeling nausea when reaching out to his master, he only felt a brick wall in front the Force. The heart of it. He was cut off completely and it almost felt like someone had a tube down his throat, cutting him off from natural air.

He had grown so used to the presence of the Force and the feelings of others he was confused at first. Then anxious. It was like losing a limb. There were phantom pains there, but it was useless in the end to try and use it.

Ezra almost cried.

His eyes opened and he could smell the faint smell of smoke. A different kind of smoke, the kind he had smelled earlier in the market when Cassius had exited his tent. The boy saw the man sitting a few feet away, leaning against one of the posts keeping the tent upright. He was smoking another one of those things and it was burning Ezra's nose to no end, making it even harder to breathe past his slight panic.

Ezra's hand raised to his neck where the needle had gone in and the movement attracted the attention of the pirate. Looking over, he raised an eyebrow at Ezra as the teen assessed the damage. The spot was tender and a little inflamed, but other than that it didn't seem life threatening. Ezra swallowed past the lump in his throat, looking to meet eyes with the elder.

"What did you give me?" Ezra asked warily, not sure if he wanted to know what the answer to that question was.

Cassius breathed out a puff of smoke, shrugging his shoulders simply, "Suppressor. You religious ones aren't exactly hard to contain. It'll keep that bond of yours between you and your teacher in check and you won't be able to do any witchcraft against me."

Ezra gripped the blanket, his heart racing. So that's why he felt like this. Whatever the pirate had given him, it had cut him off from the Force…Meaning he was cut off from Kanan.

His family.

Ezra's head raised in curiosity though, the wonder outweighing the fear, "How do you know so much about us?"

Another puff of smoke and then silence and Ezra went on, "Are…Are you a Jedi?"

The man laughed and Ezra cringed. Cassius shook his head, smiling widely as he held his stomach, acting as if the statement had been the funniest thing he had ever heard. He responded lightheartedly, "Trust me, Little Boy, there's nothing Jedi about me. I just happen to know a thing or two about them from experience."

"So you knew one?" Ezra inquired, pushing himself up to sit fully. He swayed a bit and nearly fell over until Cassius shot out a hand and grabbed his elbow, holding him upright. Ezra blinked hard, continuing, "You knew a Jedi?"

Cassius shrugged, "You could say that. Or more so, one knew me."

That was a riddle-me-this, and Ezra despised those. However, he stopped questioning him when Cassius stood, pulling Ezra up also. The boy realized he had another costume change in his slumber for the second time, this time wearing a tan set of clothing, and a dark coat made for protection against the sun. Ezra swayed on his feet, Cassius keeping him steady until he gained his footing. Cassius grinned down at him and said, "You good?"

Ezra nodded and Cassius continued, "Good, because we can't afford to stay long. Some of my 'friends' told me they saw your crew snooping around not far from here, and we have things to do before you go back to them. So come along, my new little friend."

" _Thank God,"_ Ezra thought silently. _"They're ok…And they're coming."_

Cassius bent down, grabbing a dark scarf before wrapping it around the back of Ezra's neck and over his head, explaining, "Don't have time for you to get sun stroke, now do we?"

Ezra was led out, and as soon as they were in the sun, Ezra saw Melevance standing there with a bag over her shoulder. She looked at Ezra, smiling, "Good morning, pretty eyes. You sleep well?"

"Yeah, drug induced comas are always the best," Ezra snapped, enticing a chuckle from Cassius who patted his back fondly.

The woman turned her attention to Cassius and said, "He's waiting at the pub. I'm sure he's getting impatient though, the place is swarming with hutts and you know how he feels about them."

"Oh yes I do," Cassius grinned, grabbing Ezra by his arm and beginning to walk him down the center of the market place. Ezra glanced at his lightsaber, wanting so desperately to just reach out and take it, but he had a feeling that wouldn't fly well with Cassius and Melevance.

"Where are we going?" Ezra asked. Maybe if he got enough information, he could use it to his advantage. He was still a bit fuzzy as to why he was here in the first place.

Cassius glanced down at the boy, tipping his head slightly towards the sun as if taking it in. He hummed lowly, "There's a friend we need to meet. It's for Melevance here really, and I can't say he's much of a friend. But, he's a damn good smuggler, and he'll do well for her."

Ezra looked at Melevance who was smiling a bit to herself. A fond smile, so much different from her sadistic one. Something strange washed over Ezra and he felt his shoulders relax. It seemed whatever they were doing, it wasn't anything having to do with him at the moment. And as long as the attention wasn't set on him, he was good. Until it turned to him however, that was when he knew things were going to get bad.

Melevance seemed to be the focus here though and the trip appeared to be for her.

Cassius had a tight grip on the back of Ezra's collar and Ezra guessed it was to keep him from wandering or taking off into a sprint. Ezra wasn't sure if he could run right now though, he legs still feeling like jelly because of whatever suppressor they had given him.

" _More like one knew me."_

Ezra couldn't shake that feeling. How could someone know you…Really know you, but you wouldn't know who they were? It didn't make any sense to him, but he felt that prying wouldn't get him anywhere. Cassius appeared to be the kind of guy who had to tell his own stories, not be asked about them.

Typically with Kanan, all Ezra really had to do was ask to get a story.

Cassius used his free hand to pull his hood over his head and the elder man groaned, "The sun is really blaring today, huh?"

"You probably just smoked too much," Melevance grinned and Ezra couldn't help but feel like it was too casual for her to just be a slave to him. Slaves didn't speak that way to their owners; at least Ezra didn't think so.

But, then again, no one was really owned. It was just the way the systems out here functioned.

Cassius laughed, "Probably. The stuff here is strong…Stronger than I like, if you'll believe it."

He peered down at Ezra and asked, "You too hot, kid?"

Ezra blinked, the sun blinding him when Cassius moved his head. Ezra gritted his teeth in annoyance, looking down at the ground before mumbling, "No."

"Eh?" Cassius said, letting go of Ezra's collar before pinching his cheek hard enough to bruise. "Oi, kid. I hate people who mumble, speak up."

Ezra yanked his face away and stopped walking all together, rubbing it gingerly. Cassius and Melevance both stopped in their strides to turn and look at him and Ezra turned his foot slightly, wanting to just run. To run in the opposite direction and to not look back, but he'd die. He'd die out there.

Cassius gave him a warning look, "Now, listen. If there's one thing I don't like, it's a runner. So you're going to save us a lot of trouble, and not do such things, got it?"

Ezra turned his foot back and his shoulders slumped. Cassius raised his head in triumph and approached Ezra, snagging him by his collar again and returning to their steps. From what Ezra could see in the blurry, heat fazed distance, there was a few sets of buildings, all surrounded by speeders that were parked.

Pubs.

Melevance was off in a sprint in moments, running towards the buildings. Cassius called out impatiently, "Now, hang on! You can't go in there without me anyway!"

She huffed, stopping in her run and waited for the other two males to catch up. Before Ezra knew it, they were approaching the entrance where a man holding a cattle prod was standing. He looked disgusting, like he hadn't showered in months, and smelled just the same. Ezra's nose burned and before they could enter, the man held out his prod and asked, "Business?"

"Alright, pal, no need to stick that so close," Cassius said, swatting the weapon away. "I'm here for a business deal. I've got two slaves here, and one is being sold to a costumer inside."

"Brands," The man huffed in Basic English. "Need to see Brands."

Melevance didn't hesitate before pulling her clothing off of her shoulder and on her shoulder blade was what appeared to be a burn scar. Ezra's eyebrows furrowed at it…

It was a triangle with a circle around it.

A Branding…

Ezra's eyes widened with shock, realizing she had been stuck and burned with the symbol as a sign of slavery. The man nodded his head in approval, turning his attention to Ezra before saying, "His?"

"Uh, not yet," Cassius said, holding out his hand in front of Ezra as if to form a barrier. "Just got him…He hasn't been a slave long, I was planning to get it soon."

The man shoved the stick into the ground, "No Brand, no entry."

Melevance seemed to swallow thickly and looked at Ezra with wide eyes. Ezra was still a bit fuzzy on what was going on, but he understood enough to know that him not having a burn on his shoulder was a problem and they couldn't go in to meet Cassius' 'friend' until it was fixed.

"I can stay out here," Ezra chimed up.

Cassius glared down at him, "If you think I'm that stupid, we have a problem."

The man with the prod pointed towards a tent that was a few meters away before saying, "Branding that way."

Cassius was silent a long moment, head tilted slightly and his eyes closed as if in deep thought. Ezra stared up at him, wondering what he was contemplating. He was obviously trying to think of a way around this, and if Ezra didn't know better, he could see a hint of guilt and worry on the pirate's cheeks. His brows were pulled down, his hair pushed back out of his face. He suddenly looked much older than he probably was.

"Damn it," He hissed, his eyes snapping open.

Ezra squeaked when his upper arm was grabbed and Melevance was told to stay by the door. The boy moved hesitantly towards the tent, though Cassius' strength wasn't something for him to fight against weaponless and without the Force. The teen reached up, grabbing the man's wrist, though it did nothing to deter him from going towards the tent.

Cassius didn't wait to enter, and simply threw the mouth of the tent back. Ezra's blue eyes widened immediately, seeing a young woman kneeling with her shoulder exposed. A man stood nearby, his face stone cold as another man held the Branding Iron in the fire. Ezra stepped back a bit at the sight, knowing what would be coming for the kneeling woman.

"Cassius," Ezra whispered and the man's hand moved from Ezra's arm to his back, forcing him too close to the pirate. Ezra's hand wrapped around the man's coat, the fabric surprisingly soft and a bit comforting.

And suddenly the iron was digging into the woman's shoulder blade, pulling a scream from her…

Ezra looked away, shutting his eyes tightly. It was hard to watch a person be treated like an animal. And it was scary to think he was about to be in that position, because he understood exactly why Cassius had brought him in here and he knew that he was about to suffer the same fate as the woman.

She sobbed quietly, and Ezra opened his mouth to see the man who he assumed owned her, pressing a rag to her shoulder. She was forced to stand on shaky legs and led from the tent without another word. The man with the iron looked back at both Cassius and Ezra and asked, "Ready?"

Cassius nodded and Ezra felt two hands grab his shoulders tightly as he was led to kneel on the same pillow the other woman had been kneeling on. Ezra pushed back against the hands, shaking his head, "No, no, no, Cassius, please…If you just let me stay outside, I swear to you I won't run away. I won't run."

"I'm sorry," Was the man's only response and Ezra was pushed down on his knees, his back to the two men. Cassius tugged at Ezra's shirt, pulling it off him enough to expose his shoulder blade.

Ezra reached down and grabbed the fabric where Cassius' pants met his shin. Unlike the other man who stood across the room, Cassius moved to stand in front of him. Ezra held the fabric between his fingers and Ezra could feel his chest shaking slightly with panic.

Ezra looked up at Cassius who wasn't watching, but instead had his head tilted again and his eyes closed. Ezra spoke quietly to the older, "I need Kanan."

Cassius looked down, confused. He obviously didn't know who Kanan was, but when the confusion faded, it was obvious he had realized it in just a few moments. Without moving the rest of his body, Cassius held out a hand for Ezra to take. The teen hesitated before he reached up, grabbing it and gripping it firmly.

And then the fire began.

He felt it hit his shoulder and he realized it was much worse than any stun blast he had ever felt. He tried to hold his teeth together in order not to shout, but the scream erupted without his permission and he held Cassius' hand in such a firm hold he wondered if he was hurting the pirate for a moment. He saw white fire in his vision and his head fell forward, bumping into Cassius' knees.

The iron was removed and Ezra could feel sweat pouring off of his brow. His breaths were short and gasped, his chest quaking. He wanted to throw up so badly, but he opted against it. Cassius let go of his hand, and Ezra whimpered when he felt a cold rag over the new wound on his shoulder.

Cassius helped him to stand, which was a slow process as Ezra tried desperately to blink away any remnants of tears before exiting the tent. Cassius pulling him out into the sunlight, away from the man with the iron and said, "You're alright. You did really good."

"I did good?" Ezra growled, glaring into the eyes of the elder. "I did good having a searing iron shoved into my skin?"

The look now was unmistakably guilt and Ezra huffed. Good, he should feel bad, but it was hard to believe a slave trading pirate felt bad for one measly slave getting branded. Ezra realized that it would scar, just like the two scrapes on his cheek. And that made his chest ache a bit.

He'd always have the branding of a slave.

Cassius sighed deeply, pressing the rag into Ezra's shoulder a few more moments. The man said, "They force the Brandings on the slaves in order to keep track of them…To avoid runaways. Some systems put explosive devices in their slaves, so count yourself lucky."

"Yeah, I feel real lucky," Ezra hissed as the rag was removed from his shoulder. Cassius gently placed Ezra's clothing back over the brand and he shook his head.

"It'll hurt like a wench the next few days, but it'll heal on it's on," He hummed. He then poked Ezra's cheek where his twin scars were and said, "Looks like you're not new to the whole, getting marked thing."

"This was different," Ezra snapped. "This was survival."

A look flashed over Cassius' eyes and he leaned down, getting eye level with Ezra just long enough to say, "So is this."

And then the man was walking away, pulling Ezra with him for the millionth time that day. When they were in eyesight of Melevance once again, the woman actually looked at Ezra as if she was sorry. Ezra knew his eyes must be bloodshot with unshed tears, so he avoided her gaze the best he could. Cassius pulled Ezra in front of the man with the cattle prod, exposing his shoulder before saying, "You happy?"

"Yes," The man said, though he was monotone. "May enter now."

Cassius was pulling Ezra inside, Melevance following close behind. They walked down the steps until they were underground in the pub. Once inside, Ezra could see a group of hutts being fanned in the corner, women on chains sitting close to them. Other people sat at the bar drinking themselves sick while some just chatted throughout the pub. It was an interesting sight, something that wasn't anything like the pubs back on Lothal that were pretty much under the control of the Empire.

"There," Cassius said, pointing in the far corner of the room.

Ezra squinted his eyes at the two figures sitting at a round table. One had his feet on the table, a human male who was drinking some drink lazily. The other…Was a wookie…

Ezra shook his head…A wookie?

The group approached the pair and the man leaning back in the chair grinned up at them. He was probably just as old as Cassius if Ezra had to guess, probably a pirate or a smuggler as well from his get-up. Ezra would think the wookie was a slave if he wasn't carrying a gun on his hip also, just like the man.

Maybe he was like this guy's Zeb.

"Well, if it isn't ol' Cassius Trance," The man hummed, looking entertained. Cassius sat down at the table, pulling Ezra into the booth as well, Melevance sitting on the edge. "It has been, what? Four years?"

"Four very comforting years, Han Solo," Cassius spoke, a spark of annoyance in his eyes. "If I remember correctly, that last time I saw you, you were casting me adrift in a space pod."

"I saved your life sending you out in that space pod," The man named Han Solo said, pointing an accusing finger at the other. "And last time I checked, I'm here today because _you_ asked me to smuggle a slave out for you."

" _Smuggle out a slave?"_ Ezra thought.

"Don't speak so loud," Cassius snapped, glancing around the room to make sure no one had heard. "It's not really smuggling, more of me paying you to get her somewhere."

"Alright," Han mused. "Where exactly?"

Cassius looked over at Melevance before sighing, "Wherever the hell she wants to go. I have your money and we already made the agreement. So, are you willing to go through with it or not?"

Han shrugged, "Let me see the credits."

Cassius reached into his pocket, much like he had done before at the auction, except this time he pulled out a paper bag instead of a box. Ezra's jaw dropped and he snapped, "You said you spent it all on me!"

"I did," Cassius laughed as Han peered into the paper bag. "That was my 'for fun' money. This is my business money."

"I'm for _fun_ ," Ezra growled.

Cassius didn't respond, simply waited for Han to finish his inspection before he crumpled it up and took it into his own pocket. Han snapped his head towards Melevance, "This'll do. Come on, let's get a move on. I've got places to go."

"And people to swindle," Cassius added. "I'd stay away from Hutt territory like this, Han. I heard about your debt."

Solo glared at the Cassius, giving a simple bird of the finger, leading Melevance from the pub. The wookie followed close behind the two, hand on his blaster as if something were about to happen. Ezra turned his attention to Cassius before asking, "What was all this even about? You weren't selling her?"

"No," Cassius said, occupied by watching her retreating figure. "He's going to smuggle her out of the system. I'm freeing her."

"Freeing?" Ezra whispered, his eyes wide.

Cassius nodded, "Yeah…Slavery is hard for everyone, and it's especially hard for the exploited women and children. I bought her in an auction like yours and contacted...my associate to smuggle her out of this place. Han doesn't usually smuggle people, but for the right price he'll do just about anything."

He paused, eyes meeting Ezra's bleeding blue ones before continuing, "I didn't just buy you because I need a favor, Ezra. I bought you because the idea of letting another kid live this kind of life was sickening to me."

Ezra pondered on this a long moment before his thoughts were suddenly broken by a woman approaching the table. Ezra's eyes widened at the sight of her, her skirt short and her shirt not doing much to keep her covered. She smiled at Cassius, completely ignoring Ezra's presence as she flattened her hands on the table and leaned forward, greeting, "Hi, Cassius."

Something sinister flashed in Cassius' eyes and his mouth twitched into a slight smile. Ezra suddenly found the urge to puke that very moment as Cassius responded, "Gemma. It's good to see you. I didn't realize you were working today."

"I'm always working," The woman named Gemma responded. "I just came to remind you of our deal. I scratched your back, you scratch mine."

Yeah, Ezra was definitely going to vomit.

And then the woman was walking away, towards the back of the pub behind the bar before she disappeared through the door. Cassius smirked, standing and moving over Ezra to exit the booth. He turned his attention to Ezra and said, "I'll be right back, Little One. I've got some business to take care of."

Ezra shook his head, "You're disgusting."

"I know," Cassius shrugged. "I wouldn't consider running off in my leave of absence, alright? The guard is there for a reason. He saw you come in with me, and he's not going to let you leave without me. Melevance only got to go because she had Han with her. Now wait here, it'll just be a few."

And then he was walking off, Ezra's lightsaber still on his hip and all of Ezra's hope for escape with him. Once he too disappeared into the back room though, Ezra knew he was going to have to try something…It was most likely going to be his only chance of escape.

And then Ezra saw it.

A bounty hunter sitting at a nearby table had at least six detonators on his belt. If Ezra could get one and cause a distraction in the pub without getting himself killed…Well, he would be home free…Well, free enough to go search for the crew. However, bounty hunters were a difficult type to pick pocket, especially with their attentive natures.

Ezra slid below his table, crouching down and beginning to crawl towards the man. The floor was filthy and made Ezra cringe at the thought of what he was touching, however, the idea was what kept him moving. His shoulder ached painfully with each movement and when his clothing would rub against the tender spot.

When Ezra was only a few inches away, he reached out, taking the detonator between his hands, attempting to pull it from the belt…

The bounty hunter's head snapped down at Ezra and the boy almost screamed at the helmeted head. Before Ezra had time to really think about what he was doing, the bounty hunter was reaching for his blaster, and Ezra was yanking the explosive from his belt, pressing the button to set it off.

Ezra had enough sense to throw it to the far corner of the room. He heard the county hunter yelp and Ezra sprinted back towards his table, diving below it as the room erupted into smoke and flame. The explosion silenced the room a moment, making Ezra's ears ring and the world twist and turn with colors.

Smoke filled his lungs and he coughed, pushing himself from under the table to stand. People were screaming and running from the building in hoards and Ezra was quick to join the crowd in the escape, knowing very well that he'd blend in respectfully in the panic. He rushed up the stairs and out into the beaming sunlight, noticing the guard had been pushed over in the chaos.

Ezra ran, his feet carrying him as fast as he could muster across the desert, the people having taken off on their own speeders. Smoke poured from the building and Ezra just hoped…He prayed that Cassius would be too busy to come looking for him…

The teen reached out with the Force, trying to break through the suppressor as best as he could. It felt so heavy, like bricks piled in his mind blocking him from his master. But, it almost felt like glass was breaking with each tap on the surface, cracking and spider webbing like a mirror on its edges.

If he could just push a little harder…

Ezra gasped when someone slammed into his back and knocked him to the ground. A scream erupted from his throat at the pain in his shoulder and then the mouth full of sand he received, landing on his stomach. He was turned over forcefully, blinded by the suns when he was suddenly on his back, air not entering his lungs from the impact.

"You little…" Ezra didn't hear the string of curses that followed, just realized that the person on top of him was Cassius. He held Ezra down by his shoulders as the teen began to squirm uncontrollably, and Cassius asked, "What did I tell you about runaways?"

"Screw you!" Ezra shouted, mustering enough oxygen to speak. He could feel everything shattering…Breaking…And Kanan's presence was alive and well…And if only Ezra could get closer…

He threw out his hand and felt the glass break completely, allowing the Force to rush back into him like air in his chest. Cassius flew off, but not far, the thrust not strong enough to do as much damage as Ezra had initially desired. Ezra sat up, seeing Cassius on his bottom, glaring at him darkly.

And then he was reaching into his pocket, pulling out a syringe.

Ezra turned, beginning to crawl away desperately when his ankle was grabbed and he was dragged towards the man. Though the Force was beginning to return, he knew he had no chance of mustering enough power to compensate. His fingers clawed in the sand and he felt the prick of the needle in his neck and Ezra saw the world blur again, though this time consciousness was not threatened.

"I should have known your second dose was needed," Cassius huffed, pulling Ezra to his chest to restrain him as his body began to spasm from the injection. Ezra was trembling and he pushed desperately against the elder. "You're clever, I was lucky to find you."

Was he…Not even mad anymore? God, why did this guy switch from emotion to emotion so fast?

"Stop squirming," Cassius growled and Ezra stopped, not really because of the order but because his neck and shoulder were stinging so much he wanted to throw up. He breathed heavily, his heart pounding at a million miles per hour as his body processed the adrenaline from earlier and the sudden attack of the suppressor.

Cassius patted his head, "That's better, Little Jedi. You know, if those Hutts find out you did that to their pub, they'll probably never leave you alone. You'll be a poor sap like Han."

Ezra coughed, not wanting to talk. His escape plan had been ruined and just when he had been reconnected with the Force and could finally somewhat feel Kanan again, it was gone. Cassius sighed, "Poor Gemma, well…Poor me."

Ezra pushed away and rolled his eyes at the man's lack of priority. His frustration was only distracted when a darkness seemed to fall over the suns and Cassius' eyes seemed to widen with a sudden worry. Ezra looked over his shoulder, seeing what looked to be a huge wall moving in front of the suns and clouds.

A really big wall.

The wind was picking up and Ezra felt sand pelting his face. He looked back at Cassius and a coolness came over the air as the suns began to disappeared almost completely and bring them into night.

Ezra asked, having to raise his voice over the wind, "What is that?"

"A storm," Cassius replied, eyes still wide. He jumped to his feet, pulling Ezra with him and gripping his wrist tight enough to bruise as they began to run in the opposite direction. They were running back towards the village of tents they had come from, but from what Ezra saw when glancing over his shoulder, tents didn't seem to be very safe. Because Ezra suddenly realize what it was…

It was a dust storm.

He had only heard about them. Growing up on the grasslands of Lothal they would have the occasional tornado, but from his understanding dust storms were something else entirely. They were menacing and took your breath away, replacing it with deadly sand.

"Faster Ezra!" Cassius shouted, still pulling him by his wrist. Ezra couldn't help but fall behind. Cassius' legs were longer and Ezra had just been drugged again. Sand was digging into his eyes and the wind was threatening to suck him back towards the storm.

Did this place not have a weather forecast?

It was when Ezra's feet fell out from under him and he was tripping over his shoes that Cassius stopped and turned, throwing the boy over his shoulder. Ezra squirmed only a moment before a warning pinch on his calf muscle told him to remain still. The scarf over his head flew off and away as they neared the tents.

Ezra could hear the fabric flapping and once they were inside, the panic didn't stop. Cassius set him down quickly, moving to grab several towels before dousing them in jugs of water. Ezra could feel the sand coming in, even after Cassius zipped the door shut.

The walls flapped uncontrollably and Ezra thought surely the tent would be blown away. Cassius handed one of the doused towels to Ezra, pushing it over the boy's face before ordering, "Breathe through this. The less sand you inhale the better."

Ezra nodded and Cassius put a damp towel over his own face. It sounded like a train was about to hit them and suddenly, sand began to pour in, blinding Ezra.

Cassius grabbed him, pulling a thick comforter blanket over them completely, enveloping them and keeping the towels pressed to their faces.

Darkness consumed and Ezra could barely hear Cassius' muffled voice say, "This isn't the worst of it. The tent will probably be ripped away. If it is, hold the blanket down and keep that rag over your face, got it?"

Ezra nodded and he felt Cassius' free hand press onto the back of his head. He wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort him or himself, or trying to make sure Ezra didn't raise his head from under the safety of the blanket. In any case, Ezra's lungs were screaming, even with the damp towel covering his mouth and nose.

Then he heard the tent rip, and suddenly the wind was ten times stronger and the sand felt like fire on his skin as it slammed into him, even from under the blanket. He was sure if Cassius wasn't holding him down he would have blown away already and never be seen again.

" _Please be safe, guys…Please be in the Ghost."_

Ezra's thoughts were the loudest thing, even louder than the wind. Cassius was rubbing his head while keeping it held down, and Ezra thought maybe he was trying to keep him calm…Trying to reassure him.

The small bit of light in the darkness suddenly disappeared as Ezra found the air too thin to breathe anymore.

His hands went slack and pitch nothingness reigned in his mind and eyes.

Silence.


	3. Orphans

AN: Part Three is finished! Part Four will be the last part of course, because after all this was meant to be a short fic. I had only intended for three parts, but it extended a little bit further. Oh well, I enjoy writing it. I hope you all enjoy reading it, and let me know what you think with a review!

Part Three

 _"Orphans"_

" _Ezra?"_

 _Kanan's voice was quiet. Far away. Nowhere near close to him. Ezra reached for it, trying to find his master in the darkness. There was nothing before him, just an empty space of cold air and heartbreaking silence._

 _Echoes bounced around him and Ezra blinked, but he wasn't sure if he was blinking really. Ezra called out timidly, "Kanan?"  
_

 _Nothing returned and Ezra called again, "Kanan? Are you out there?"_

" _Ezra, you have to wake up."_

 _Ezra was confused. Was he not awake? Why was Kanan telling him to wake up if he was speaking to him right now? Ezra shook his head, "What do you mean? Where are you?"_

" _Ezra, breathe. Wake up."_

" _Kanan…I don't understand."_

" _Wake up, Ezra."_

" _I…I…"_

" _Wake up! Breathe!"_

Ezra gasped, body convulsing as he sat up and coughed madly. His chest seized and he felt sand rising in his throat with each cough that escaped his lips. His ribs burned and his throat stung harshly. Ezra dug his fingers into the sand below him, and his sternum felt like someone had just slammed their fist into it. His eyes burned and his head ached, but other than that, he was alive and he was somewhat awake.

The storm.

It was gone.

Ezra continued to choke, feeling someone's hands on his shoulders and turning him to the side as if they thought he was about to choke on vomit. Ezra glanced back; half expecting to see Kanan, but instead it was Cassius there, looking at him with a worried expression.

"Breathe, kid," Cassius ordered as Ezra struggled to inhale. "Come on, you're alright."

Ezra eyes burned with sand and immediately he reached up and rubbed them, groaning quietly as he gasped. He croaked, "My eyes…Damn…"

Ezra opened them enough to see Cassius digging around through the blankets and the remnants of their tent, pulling out a large jug of water that had survived the destruction. Cassius poured it on a small portion of his shirt before using it to wipe away the dirt from Ezra's eyes and around his mouth and nose.

"Can you see?" Cassius asked when he finished and Ezra nodded. Cassius held out the jug and ordered, "Drink some."

Ezra didn't have to be told twice, immediately beginning to chug the water. Cassius sat down on his bottom and he appeared to be out of breath, watching Ezra as if he was watching a ghost. Ezra stopped drinking, putting down the water to ask, "What's wrong?"

Cassius ran a hand through his hair and gestured to Ezra, "Kid…You weren't breathing."

"I…" Ezra paused, shaking his head. He looked terribly confused. Ezra cleared his throat, "I wasn't?"

Cassius grimaced, "No, not for a few minutes at least. Took me a while to get you back up and running again."

Ezra's mouth pulled into a frown and he rubbed his chest tenderly. So that's why his chest hurt so much…Cassius had to resuscitate him. Though, it was hard to believe because here he was sitting in front of him. His eyes were wide open and his mind awake and alive. He was alert. How could someone who had stopped breathing be alright in just a few moments? Ezra looked over, wishing his master were here now, like he had been in the dream.

The boy's eyes scanned around them, taking in the devastation. The tents around them had all been destroyed and people were already brushing themselves off and beginning to gather their dispersed items. Cassius slipped the jug from Ezra's hands and capped it, before saying, "Don't look so concerned. We have storms all the time; this isn't anything new for these people."

Ezra felt the sand in his mouth, "It's…terrible…"

"It sucks yeah," Cassius said. "I'm not saying it doesn't. But, it always gets put back together."

Cassius was standing in an instant, brushing the sand off of himself. Reaching down, he grabbed Ezra by the arm and pulled him to his feet as well, taking several large sips of water from the jug. He then replaced the lid, setting it down and beginning to pick up what was left of his things.

Ezra asked quietly, "Was that all the stuff you had?"

Cassius laughed at that and Ezra felt his hands clench. He was concerned and Cassius was just laughing, exactly like a pirate, "I'm not stupid, Kiddo. I keep the important things in this coat, including my money. And don't worry, I've got more of your suppressors, so don't get too excited."

Ezra glared and Cassius smirked at him, throwing a makeshift sack over his shoulder and beginning to walk away, pulling Ezra by his collar once again.

"Where are we going now?" Ezra groaned, his entire body aching and his head pounding heavily. He wanted to lie down and sleep for eternity, his chest hurting him and the rest of him wanting to bleed out onto the sand. It seemed the suns were actually going down now, and nightfall would be upon them in enough time.

Cassius tilted his head like he always did, "Well, we can't let a little storm distract us from the reason you're here, right? You want to go back to your people and I want to get my item back. Which leads to the actual issue here."

"And that issue here is?"

Cassius was silent a moment and Ezra was growing impatient. If the guy needed help with something, Ezra didn't understand why he couldn't just tell him what it was so he could get it over with and stop being given these suppressors. He just wanted to get back to the others.

"I'll tell you soon," Cassius muttered, suddenly sounding serious and even a bit melancholy. "First, we need to get to my ship."

Ezra raised an eyebrow, " _You_ have a ship."

"Yes I have a ship," Cassius snapped, smacking Ezra on the back of the head and looking rather offended. "I'm not broke, Little Jedi. I actually am good at my occupation and I make well enough money. I keep the ship out of the way so people like the ones I deal with can't get to it, thank you very much. Which I'm guessing is why your little crew was docked so far from the market, hm?"

It was true, the Ghost crew had shared the same thought of docking farther away in order to avoid thieves.

Cassius went on, "I'm usually stopped here for several weeks before I finally go on another 'hunt'. You know, trading and treasure gathering. Then, I come back and sell what I got. It's lucrative."

"And are slaves involved in that?" Ezra hissed.

Cassius paused, tilting his head, " _Sometimes._ Don't look at me like that; I don't make them slaves like those asshats who kidnapped you did. I don't take free people and turn them into captives. If you're free, you're free until some trader makes you a slave. I only purchase pre-slaves, and usually it's to let them go. Though, for the right price."

"The right price?" Ezra whispered.

"Yes," Cassius said. "I don't like slavery, but I know what it is. It's a money maker. And money making and trading is the only way to survive. So, I participate for lack of a better option. However, if a slave comes along and offers to pay me to purchase and free them, then I will."

He thought a second, "Melevance had been saving money since she was thirteen to get herself out. Hiding the credits, objects, anything she could get her hands on. I bought her, she paid me, and I freed her."

"So you're not just a nice person," Ezra glared. "You get something out of freeing these people; you're just like the people who took me."

Ezra jumped when Cassius stopped walking suddenly. The boy gasped in pain when Cassius grabbed him by the ear like an angry mother, pulling hard and getting inches from his face. Ezra cringed heavily, trying to ease some of the tug on his ear as Cassius growled, "Listen, I have a lot of patience because I know you're a kid and you're innocent in all of this. You're ignorant and it's not your fault. But, I do what I have to in order to survive. I've been on my own since I was a kid, ok? Don't you dare compare me to those asshats."

Ezra's eyes narrowed, the pain in his ear subsiding into a throb as he spoke, "I managed to survive on my own since I was seven until I met my crew. I was hungry, cold, and alone the entire time. And I _never_ resorted to taking people's freedom away."

The grip on his ear disappeared and Cassius stood to full height, face diminishing into one of annoyance rather than anger. The man rubbed Ezra ear in an apologetic manner, rolling his eyes slightly. The elder mumbled, "Come on. We've got to hurry before the temperature starts to drop. Trust me, this wasteland gets really cold, really fast."

Ezra swallowed thickly before moving behind Cassius. He was right, the sun was sinking lower and lower in the sky and the direction they were walking seemed to be never ending. They clearly had a bit of traveling time, though it was to Ezra's despair. His chest was hurting so badly, he wouldn't be surprised if Cassius had accidentally broken a couple of his ribs in his "lifesaving" process.

Ezra knew he should be grateful, but he wasn't. He just felt pissed off.

They moved in silence for the next several minutes. Minutes turned into an hour, and the sun had long set when Ezra began to shiver slightly. It felt like ice was moving into his blood and he couldn't comprehend how a planet so freaking hot during the day could suddenly drop to such cold temperatures in just a matter of moments.

Out of boredom, Ezra began walking in step with Cassius, playing a bit of a game with himself. Where ever Cassius' footprint found a place, Ezra was quick to hop to it. Sometimes he didn't have to, but Cassius' strides were much longer than his own. It was entertainment enough really, and it kept him happy in his aches and pains and the never ending turmoil he felt because he was here and not with his crew.

It was only when he stumbled over his own foot trying to jump to another one of Cassius' footprints that the pirate noticed what was going on.

Ezra landed on his stomach, a small huff escaping him upon impact. Cassius turned around quickly, face confused until Ezra looked up sheepishly, scrambling to his feet once more. Cassius sighed, shoulders slumping as he shook his head, "I don't know how your teacher keeps you alive."

"Hey-" Ezra was about to argue, but he peered around Cassius, noticing for the first time they had approached the ship. He had been so busy with the game that he hadn't even noticed. It was small, something that was capable of being piloted by one person. Probably only a fraction bigger than the Phantom.

"Oh," Ezra said, moving around Cassius towards it before asking, "This is the ship?"

"Unimpressed?" Cassius snarked and Ezra rolled his eyes as Cassius opened the ramp that led inside. Ezra was quick to enter, wanting to escape the cold as soon as possible. Closing the ramp behind them, Cassius threw down his bag, opening one of the hatches above the chairs lining the walls.

He dug through, speaking, "We'll sleep in here tonight, then we'll get to work tomorrow. But, today has been long as hell and I'm tired."

Cassius pulled out two sleeping bags, tossing one at Ezra who barely caught it in time. Cassius laid his down on the floor, Ezra hesitantly following in suit. There wasn't much room, but it was enough he guessed. He was tired, but maybe if he could wait for Cassius to fall asleep…

"Don't get any ideas," Cassius sighed, settling into the bag. "If I catch you, I'll beat you and start sedating you. And trust me, I'll catch you."

Ezra huffed, settling into his own bag. Though he didn't find the threat very scary, it was annoying to be talked down to. Once inside, his mind began to wander to thoughts of what exactly they had to work on tomorrow. He had been in this man's custody for the better part of forty-eight hours and he had yet to learn exactly what it was he was doing here. Ezra hadn't pushed the issue too hard, just trying to escape, but from the looks of things, he may have to resort to doing what he was told in order to get free.

"Cassius?" Ezra questioned, staring at the ceiling in the dark.

"Hm?" Was a slight response and Ezra knew Cassius must have been dozing.

Ezra shifted, trying to word his question well enough so that Cassius couldn't beat around it with sarcasm, "What are we getting back? What was taken from you?"

The silence was broken by a deep sigh from the man and Ezra heard shifting, meaning he was sitting up. Ezra looked over at him in the dim lighting, only able to see his outline from the moon pouring in the window. Cassius was quiet, causing Ezra to sit up also, waiting for an answer.

"The Jedi of the old…" Cassius whispered quietly, sounding the most serious Ezra had heard him. Even more serious than when anger would overcome him. "How much do you know about them?"

Ezra opened his mouth and closed it again several times, pondering on this…Not much actually…Just what Kanan had told him…

"They were warriors," Ezra began slowly. "They kept the peace…Until Order 66 and then their allies…The Clones. They turned against them and killed them because the Empire ordered them to."

Cassius nodded his head and Ezra could feel solemnness radiating in the room. Cassius ran a hand through his hair, pushing his dark bangs out of his face as he confirmed, "That's true. Did your teacher ever tell you what life was like for them in their temples? What rules they had to follow?"

Ezra chewed his lip, "Attachments were…Frowned upon, I know that."

"Not just frowned upon," Cassius snapped, making Ezra jump. " _Forbidden._ Any Jedi who fell in love or had families was immediately cut out of the order. It made them too vulnerable to damnation I guess…Though…It didn't stop some people."

The cold was making Ezra shake, and the anticipation of what Cassius had to say wasn't helping either. Ezra cupped his hands over his mouth to warm them. Cassius turned his entire body to look at Ezra, though his face was a dark shadow, so his expression was lost.

Cassius said fiercely, "My father was brave. Very, very brave, and he met my mother when he was young. He loved her…But, he knew that if the order found out, he would be removed."

Ezra's eyes widened the sizes of saucers and his hands slammed down at his sides in shock. He exclaimed, "Your dad was a Jedi!?"

"Shhh!" Cassius snapped, putting a finger over his mouth. "I have a skull splitting headache, kiddo, so you'll have to keep your shock at a minimum. But, yes…He was a Jedi. A _good_ one, even with the love he had for my mother, he was a good Jedi. But, he knew that the Jedi would never accept it, so he kept their relationship a secret. They never married…Just had occasional contact when he could slip away."

"That sounds…Terrible…" Ezra muttered. It didn't seem fair, the rules of the old Jedi. They seemed cruel and a bit unrealistic. How could one not have attachments? Not have love? The love he felt for the crew was indescribable, he would die for them. He would die for Kanan in a heartbeat, because Kanan was his only father figure now. Kanan was his teacher, his friend, and his parent.

"I'm sure it was," Cassius hummed, nodding in agreement. "Then, I came along and…Well, childbirth is hard and Mom didn't make it. Dad of course couldn't take care of me all the time, so I was mostly raised by my mom's sister. He would come visit once every moon cycle and he would stay a whole week every time. I remember I would wait on the front steps of my aunt's little house, waiting for him to get there. Sometimes he was late, but he would always show up. But, then…"

He trailed off and Ezra gulped, "Then what?"

"My aunt got news of some kind of Jedi betrayal," Cassius huffed, leaning forward and looking away. "I don't know what it was, but they said the Jedi had betrayed the Republic. I was about nine at the time, so I didn't understand all of the details. Just that the Jedi were being executed."

Ezra could feel the pain and sadness growing stronger in the small space as the story continued, "My dad showed up a few days after, beaten and bruised. He had escaped, but he said he couldn't stay long, that he was putting my aunt and me in too much danger. He gave me this…box thing. Called it a holocron and he said that it had hope filled within it. I couldn't open the thing of course; I didn't inherit my dad's witchcraft. But, I kept that thing close and I kept it hidden."

"That is…Until a few months ago I was on a trade, smuggling some stolen items. The Empire busted our deal and they searched my ship. They took it…They seemed to know exactly what it was and that scared me shitless, so I got out of there as fast as I could. Let them have the cargo and the holocron."

Ezra blinked, "My master…He has one. A holocron I mean. It's how he made sure I was a force sensitive, because I could open it."

"Well, I can't open it," Cassius snapped, sounding angry about it. "So, I've never gotten to see the hope that supposedly lives inside of it. And I can't get the thing back, even though I know exactly where it is. Which is where you come in. You and your little powers are going to help me get back what my father gave to me, and then I'll free you."

Ezra opened his mouth to argue, but he heard Cassius lying back down onto his sleeping bag before he could. His heart sank slightly, his thoughts moving towards Cassius' story. A part of him told him not to believe it, that maybe Cassius was just playing another one of his games…But, then again, he had sounded much too sincere in his words and it seemed so…Silly to make up. Not the sorrow of the story itself, but the reason why he would make up something so irreparably tragic.

Cassius had been a forbidden child, born out of the Jedi's law.

And then he was orphaned.

Ezra sighed a bit deeply, also lying down on his own sleeping bag before shutting his eyes. The Force was still drifting away, but he continued to try and reach for Kanan. He missed him. He truly missed his master and he missed the crew. The ache in his chest was nearly as bad as the day his parents had been dragged away from their home.

He just hoped…He could hurry and do what Cassius asked of him.

And he hoped Cassius' plan was somewhat set out in front of them.

* * *

Ezra flinched awake, body going stiff and his eyes snapping open. He wasn't sure what had woken him, but his heart was pounding for some reason. Maybe he had a nightmare, and just couldn't remember what it was. Or maybe it was because for a moment he forgot where he was completely and the ship he was on was actually flying and not in a still position.

"Oh good, you're awake," Cassius' voice said, making Ezra look up in surprise. The man was sitting in the pilot's seat, staring straight ahead, though Ezra didn't know how exactly he knew he was awake. "We're almost where we need to be, kiddo. So, rise and shine and get ready to kick some buckethead ass."

Ezra pushed himself into a sitting position with a snap, eyes wide in shock. He exclaimed, "Already!? You haven't even gone over a plan with me yet!"

"Then here it is," Cassius grinned. "We're about five minutes away from Imperial Star Destroyer, _Feroce._ This is where they're keeping my holocron and where you're going to go in and get it back. I know your little witchcraft will be capable of seeking it out."

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, but you've forgotten one simple thing," Ezra began calmly before his face turned pink with frustration. "YOU DRUGGED ME AND BLOCKED ME OFF FROM THE FORCE!"

Cassius put a hand over his ear, glaring back at the teen with an annoyed expression, "If my calculations are correct, which they _are_ , your witch-… _Force_ should be returning any minute now. I'll even give you back your laser sword to make it easier on you."

Ezra was still a moment in the small ship, heart racing. The Force was coming back soon? He felt slightly relieved, but then again, Cassius was sending him into an Imperial destroyer _alone._ The chances of him actually getting out alive were slim to none, so even if the Force returned and he did manage to feel Kanan out and give him the location of where they were, it may be too late to be saved.

Then again, if Cassius gave him back his lightsaber, he wouldn't have to go in at all. He could take down Cassius and leave…

Ezra's mind mixed and mingled with ideas, but that one seemed…Cruel. Truly, it had been cruel of Cassius to buy him, to get him branded, and drug him. It was cruel of him to want to force Ezra into assisting him in getting back his holocron.

And yet…Ezra felt _bad_ for Cassius.

The man was gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white and Ezra had a feeling that this wasn't just a case of stolen property and wanting it back. This was desperation. This was Cassius' _hope_ in that holocron, even if he had never seen what was within in. Because it was something from his father. It was a piece of the man he had lost.

And Ezra knew that if he had something so dear from his parents, he would do anything to get it back.

But, Cassius obviously knew he wasn't capable of taking on an entire starship alone. Within Cassius, there was hero worship that Ezra could see. Hero worship for people wielding the same blades his father had, because he had seen his father as powerful. He probably thought his father could overrun such a ship. So, if Ezra had the same abilities and the same sword, he should be capable of it as well.

Cassius wasn't thinking logically…he was thinking how a child would when looking at their father as the most amazing superhero in the galaxy.

That made Ezra's heart _ache_ …Because it was the same way he had seen his parents when they would broadcast their messages about hope and standing up.

And it was the way he saw Kanan now.

Cassius cleared his throat, taking Ezra's thoughts away as he said, "We're about to jump out of hyperspace. We're going to be really up close and personal with the son-of-a-hutt, so prepare yourself for immediate landing."

"What!?" Ezra's jaw dropped. "What are you talking about? Why can't we just trick them into letting us dock willingly?"

Cassius shrugged his shoulders, "Didn't think of that. Too late now."

"Cassius!" Ezra snapped. "I can't feel the Force yet, we can't _do_ this."

Cassius looked back at him and gave a small grin, "Of course we can. Use the Force."

Ezra hit the back on the pilot chair hard enough to make his hand sting, "I'm trying!"

"Try harder," Cassius ordered, turning back around facing the blue streams of light. "Because we have fifty seconds before I dive in."

Ezra's arms began to shake and he stepped back, mouth agape and he felt himself become somewhat overwhelmed. Not just somewhat…Completely. His blood was pounding in his ears and his throat was suddenly dry. He wished Kanan were here, he wished he were here to tell him what to do, how to get the Force back completely. How to _find_ it…

Find it.

Ezra swallowed, shutting his eyes. He padded gently at where the border between himself and the Force was. He touched it, slid his hand over it, feeling the cracks edging out and threatening to shatter. It was there, past the block and all he needed to do was push…He just had to push….

He pressed against it, hard…Then harder when it barely budged. He strained, tightening his eyes shut and squeezing his fists as he tried again. And again.

And again…

"Kid," Cassius' voice sounded warning. "Ten seconds."

Ezra mind blurred with pain and he tried to break through the drugs to reach the Force on the other side, the Force he knew was there. The thing that tied life and the galaxy together as one and made his chest swell with comfort when things got hard.

The thing that made him feel _alive._

"Now!"

The ship jerked out of hyperspace as the glass shattered and the Force flowed in, latching onto Ezra desperately as if it had missed him and thought they would never meet again. Ezra breathed out, grabbing back at it and pushing out to his master.

" _Kanan, I'm here,"_ Ezra thought, feeling his master's Force signature and knowing the anxiety behind it was because of Ezra. _"I'm here and I'm ok. But, I don't know for how long…"_

Then, blue eyes opened and Ezra saw the ship they were plummeting towards.

Ezra's eyes widened and he shouted, "What are you doing?!"

"Quick landing before they have time to register someone exited hyperspace," Cassius was straining and holding tight to the wheel. "I would hold on if I were you."

Ezra nodded, kneeling beside one of the chairs and holding onto the seat tightly from his place on the floor. He couldn't see what was happening outside of the ship, but he knew by the bright light that they were coming into the hangar and they were coming in fast. Ezra shut his eyes, putting his head down as he felt the ship jolt and then tremble.

The boy flew forward, hands yanked from where he was gripping the seat and he found himself nearly sliding under the control panel in front of him. He body screamed when back slammed into the legs of the captain's chair and he groaned, feeling the ship to continue to slide and hearing terrible sounds of the metal grinding against each other.

Before Ezra had time to register what was going on, Cassius was grabbing him and pulling him into a sitting position. Cassius pushed Ezra's hand from the back of his head where a dull ache was forming, replacing it with his own hand, checking for injuries under Ezra's hair.

"You alright?" Cassius breathed, looking like he must have hurt himself also, a pained expression on his face. "Can you see? Anything blurry?"

Ezra shook his head and groaned, looking up to say, "I'm ok…Are you?"

"Yeah," Cassius sighed. "The seat belt caught me wrong is all. My shoulder is going to hurt like a beast."

Ezra nodded his head, appearing to be in a sort of daze. He watched Cassius pull the lightsaber from his belt and shove it into Ezra's hand. Ezra sighed contently, happy to have the weapon back on his person.

Cassius cupped Ezra's face, surprising the child a bit as Cassius whispered, "Listen to me…You're the only hope I have, ok kid? That holocron…"

He trailed off, gulping down and Ezra felt his body tense. He knew troopers would probably be coming soon to see what happened in the hangar, but if Cassius had any sense he would probably have crashed them in the lower levels, the least busiest and typically only used to board supplies.

Cassius rolled his shoulders, squeezing Ezra's face too tightly before continuing, "I wouldn't be putting a kid in danger unless it was really important, alright? I want you to believe that."

"I believe you," Ezra replied. "If I…If I had something like that from my mom and dad, I would want it back too."

Cassius opened his mouth as if to say more, but the sound of a siren stopped him. He cursed under his breath, standing and pulling Ezra with him before opening the ramp and pulling the teen out too. The hangar was empty, but obviously reinforcements or some kind of investigative team was on its way to see what had happened.

"Alright," Cassius sighed, grabbing Ezra by the shoulder and shaking it a bit. "Here's the plan. Are you listening?"

Ezra nodded, rubbing the portion of his back where he had hit the chair. Cassius began to talk hurriedly, "I'm going to find us a ship we can use to get out of here." He stopped a moment pulling a com from his pocket before sticking it into Ezra's ear, "Don't contact me until you find the holocron and I'll let you know what hangar I'm in. There's not a good encryption on this thing, so it'll be easy for them to cut into our convo. So, wait until you've found it and only then will I tell you."

He side glanced before looking back into Ezra's eyes, "Just seek it out…Feel it out. I'm know I'm not your teacher and the only thing I know about this stuff is what my father had to say, but it's all I have to offer right now. Do you understand what we're doing?"

Ezra nodded and Cassius patted his shoulder encouragingly. Ezra was then turned and pushed towards one of the corridors and was further swatted away by the adult. Ezra's feet went into motion on their own, beginning to sprint down towards the hall of the ship.

He embraced the Force even more, letting it melt into him as he immediately dove for one of the vents. The sirens in his ears made it difficult to enjoy the rediscovered friend, but he busied himself with getting the grate off and squeezing his body into the vent.

Hopefully he wouldn't outgrow this.

On second thought…Hopefully he did. Just a little.

He army crawled, pulling the grate back up and continuing down the stretch of vent. Taking in a deep breath, he shut his eyes and began to dig through the ship, searching for any trace of the holocron…

" _Please…I ask you…Show me the way."_

He had never really asked such as that to the Force, but he felt the tug as soon as he did. His heart pulled further down the ventilation shaft and he began to crawl towards it, like a dog that had caught a scent.

Cassius' hope was here, and Ezra was going to get it back for him.

Because they were orphans, and the undesirables had to stick together sometimes, no matter the circumstances.


	4. Conclusion

AN: Finally, after all this time I've finished the last part. I hope you all enjoy it! This story was meant to be a short little four shot that would only take a few weeks but turned out to take several months. Who knew college would be so rough? xD Enjoy!

Part Four

" _Conclusion"_

Ezra's head was pounding.

The little space in the air vent was not helping with the matter, and in fact was making it all the worse. It was too small, too petite, and even though Ezra himself was small, it wasn't a good place to be when your stomach was churning from a settling concussion. Trying to relax into it wasn't going to happen at all.

Ezra tried to focus on sensing the Holocron.

He crawled slowly, mind weaving through the measurements of the ship. He hadn't felt any sign of the Holocron yet and it was making his anxiety spike. The sirens outside of the vents weren't making the job easier as he sensed and sensed, and yet couldn't seem to find anything to latch onto in the dimness.

Ezra wasn't even positive if the guy he was doing this for was still alive.

There was no time to question that though. He knew the sooner he found the Holocron the sooner he could get out of this Hell hole of a ship. He'd find Cassius and they'd take an escape pod back down to the moon. They'd land and he'd somehow get in contact with the crew. End of story. Happy ending. Ta-da!

That was when Ezra felt it through the blaring alarms.

It was small. Smaller than when he had felt Kanan's Holocron for the first time, yet it was there. It was seeping into the light and his trembling fingers could almost touch it in the distance. Ezra's eyes snapped open wide and he took a left beside him to move towards the feeling.

The feeling of Light.

Of hope.

Cassius' hope.

The boy crawled and crawled, trying his damn best to get to the source of the feeling. Everything was still buzzing though and the after effects of Cassius' drugs were nothing good. Nothing good at all honestly and he wanted to break through the bit of glass that still seemed to be shielding him from the Force.

That was, until he stopped over one particular grate in the vent.

He peered down, feeling through the Force for what had stopped him. Something had…Something loud. A sharp slice through the haze and it had been so sudden, Ezra had to grab his breath. It was different from Kanan's holocron, but also, so similar. He felt that same warmth, that same calling.

He pulled the grate back, poking his head down into the room that appeared to be a storage room filled with sealed containers. It was dim, and looked to be empty of any personnel. The sirens from earlier had stopped and Ezra couldn't help but feel that wasn't a good sign.

Ezra decided not to worry too much about Cassius and instead slipped down into the storage room, landing with a quiet thump. He crouched down, pressing against one of the containers before shutting his eyes and focusing.

He felt…It was so loud. As if the clouds had been lifted, and the world was suddenly clear again. The drugs dripped through his blood still, but it had parted enough for him to slide the fingers of his subconscious around the crates, searching and listening.

It had to be there.

If he had found Kanan's that first time without even looking, he could find this one. He could hear the whispers. He could feel the power within it. The knowledge and the good. The light. It called to him and begged him to save it from the grasp of the Empire and its darkness.

Its storm.

Ezra's eyes snapped open and he realized he was no longer crouched beside one of the crates, but rather standing above one. He had moved across the room without even knowing, causing him to put his palm over the cold metal surface on a small crate in particular…

Just big enough.

Ezra didn't hesitate to pry it open and as soon as he did he was hit with a wave. He smiled brightly, reaching in to pull out the holocron that was nearly identical to Kanan's. It was so similar; his fingers shook with the same nervousness that he had felt whenever he held Kanan's. Sliding his gloved hand over it, he whispered, "Got you."

Then he heard the shouting.

Ezra was quick to slide the object into his pocket before slamming the container shut. He knew without a doubt the shouts belonged to Cassius from down the hall. Ezra rushed to the door, pressing the button to slide it open before poking his head through.

He couldn't say he was surprised when he saw Cassius there, struggling against several other bucketheads. Ezra rolled his eyes, running out of the room and towards the quarrel. Of course Cassius would be the one to mess up the plan and Ezra, the kid, would be the one who managed to get the job done himself.

As he approached them however, he saw one of the troopers land a good hit on the back of Cassius' head, sending the man sprawling unconscious on the floor. Ezra's eyes widened and he shouted without thinking, "Hey!"

The men turned their heads and Ezra instinctively reached for his lightsaber, only to find it wasn't there.

The idiot had forgotten to give it back like he said he would.

Ezra cursed, looking back up just in time to see a blast heading towards him. Not having time to move, he screamed when the burning sensation made contact on the same shoulder where he had been burned just before with the brand. Ezra covered the burn immediately with his hand, starting to dodge more shots as the pain began to radiate throughout his body.

He held out a hand towards Cassius' unconscious form, pulling his confiscated lightsaber from the man's belt. It landed in his hand perfectly just as several other storm troopers arrive, beginning to fill the corridor…

He was outnumbered…

His vision began to blur from the pain in his shoulder and he came to the conclusion it hadn't been set on stun. He was definitely burned, and it definitely was effecting his ability to fight. Ezra knew if he was going to be able to free Cassius later, he was going to need to get away from the giant group.

Ezra backed into the room he had been in before, shutting the door and using his lightsaber to destroy the access panel. He then rushed to his vent, returning to his place within it and putting the grate back over the exit.

He crawled.

Most of Ezra's thoughts were centered around how stupid Cassius was and how badly he sucked at this. He had been so concerned with Ezra's abilities, but then he goes and gets his dumb self captured in the first five minutes they're on the ship.

Ok, five minutes is a lie.

But, close enough.

Ezra wondered how he could have even thought that Cassius was more of a pirate than Hondo. Hondo could have lied himself out of that situation, but nope, not Cassius. Not Cassius at all.

Ezra crawled for what felt like hours, before he came to a stop where he could see he was near the refresher room. Ezra slipped inside, finding the stalls all empty. He went towards the sink, grabbing several hand towels before sliding his shirt from his shoulder and inspecting the damage in the mirror before him.

Gross.

Ezra dampened one of the hand towels before pressing the cool rag over his wound. He gritted his teeth to subdue a threatening scream. It was bleeding, and Ezra was slightly confused because most of the time being hit with a blast didn't induce bleeding.

His eyes watered and Ezra used every ounce of his self-control not to let himself cry. Of course he knew he had been hurt worse than this before, and the fear in him was mostly produced from not having his master there with him to help. He had grown so used to having Kanan there that this being alone thing was reborn. He couldn't remember what it was like before.

Ezra kept the pressure there, removing the wet rag before replacing it with a dry one. The lack of sirens had been answered. They had caught Cassius and had thought he was the only culprit in the crash. But, now they would be looking for Ezra too.

And they had seen his lightsaber.

Great.

Ezra groaned, moving back into his vent and shutting it before lying down and shutting his eyes. He kept the pressure on his shoulder, bringing deep breaths in and out of his lungs to control the stinging sensation.

His head hurt.

This was all Cassius' fault.

These guys meant business if their stun was turned off…

It didn't take long for Ezra's eyes to begin to roll into the back of his head, the pain taking him to the edges of his mind. The world around him silenced for a long moment, being replaced with darkness and flashes of light every once in a while. He couldn't think. Nothing would process. Just pain and burning. Just trying to fight it down. That was all he could think.

Don't cry.

Don't show weakness.

But, there was no one watching. Still, he didn't let the threatening tears drop. He knew the pain would subside eventually. His body would numb it out and he would be able to find Cassius and they could get out.

Unless they couldn't.

Then he would die here. He would die here with Cassius. They would be executed and Kanan would feel it. He would know and it would break him. Ezra knew it would. He would get himself killed, selfishly. Because he hadn't been more careful. He should have been more careful.

He shouldn't have been so stupid.

" _Get up, Ezra."_

Ezra startled at Kanan's voice in the back of his head. He sounded…mad. Ezra's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes snapped opened. He whispered through a parched throat, "I'd like to hear you say that if you had been shot in the shoulder."

" _Get up."_

" _Don't give up. You have to move."_

" _You have to move!"_

Ezra groaned, arching his back in resistance as he tried to roll over. He managed it, beginning to drag himself through the vents, sensing for Cassius. Kanan was right…He had to move. He had to get Cassius and they had to get off the ship. Or else they never would.

It was now. Or it was never. And never was such a long time.

Ezra huffed out breaths of protest as he body tried its best to keep him going. He wanted to throw up, but he soon became adjusted to the aching and his movements started to speed up. He pushed, and pushed, feeling for Cassius' presence within the ship.

And he felt him.

Rather, he felt a presence around him.

It was like a spirit of some kind, directing him. Guiding him towards the pirate that had captured him and put him in this situation in the first place.

Ezra paused, coming to a realization.

"You're his dad."

And the Force only wavered in the slightest, giving Ezra his answer.

Who was Ezra to argue with a dead Jedi?

It wasn't long before he came upon the pirate that was swaddled in his father's embrace. The pirate whom Ezra had hated, but the pirate that was loved by something so strong. Something that was not death. Because there is no death, there is only the Force. And the Force was protecting Cassius, even if Cassius wasn't a wielder.

Ezra landed down from the vent in front of the cell that the Force had led him to. He didn't hesitate to knock out the two troopers in front of it, the pain in his shoulder having subsided almost completely.

The boy pressed the access button, causing the cell door to slide open simply. Cassius was sitting on the bench, his hands folded and his elbows on his knees. His head popped up from where it was bowed in defeat as he took in Ezra's appearance.

His eyes widened and he stood hurriedly, obviously causing himself to sway a bit from the sudden movement after being knocked unconscious. Cassius said quickly, "Holy hell, Kid. You look terrible."

"Well," Ezra huffed. "I did get blasted in the shoulder while you were getting yourself knocked unconscious. I think that was a new record when it comes to getting captured."

Cassius glared, "This isn't exactly my specialty."

"Sure," Ezra said, backing towards the door. "Come on, let's get out of here."

He patted his pocket and Cassius' eyes widened in realization before he smiled and began to follow Ezra from the room. However, before Ezra could process what was happening, he was being ripped around the corner and Cassius was being shoved to the ground, a bow staff being shoved into his throat.

Ezra knew…

"Zeb!" Ezra shouted in shock, looking at the Lasat as if he had grown two heads. He smiled brightly, jumping around to get a good look at his friend's face. Zeb wasn't looking at him though, rather glaring down at his captive. Ezra continued his childish excitement, "I've never been this happy to see you, Buddy!"

"Yeah, we'll have a reunion later," Zeb ground out, his eyes narrowing even more. "Right after I beat the daylight out of this useless piece of-"

"Wait!" Ezra intervened, pushing the staff away from Cassius' throat. "Don't hurt him, just let me explain on the Ghost. Where are the others?"

Zeb looked shell shocked by Ezra's actions, pulling his weapon way from the boy. Zeb pointed sharply behind him before growling, "They're looking for _you_! Because this guy _took_ you!"

"Again, I'll explain on the Ghost," Ezra said, helping Cassius to stand. Ezra paused, looking up at Zeb's enraged face. But, all the boy could do was smile. He smiled because…His family was here. He could feel them. He reached out, touching each of them before pulling away and returning his attention to Zeb. Zeb jumped in shocked when Ezra suddenly wrapped his arms around the Lasat's middle.

"Uh…Kid," Zeb muttered awkwardly, putting a hand on Ezra's back until the boy pulled away.

Ezra shook his head, continuing to grin, "I promise to never complain about your shedding again. This has been a really sucky experience."

"Thanks," Cassius grumbled, rolling his eyes, only to hold up his hands when Zeb glared.

Zeb put his finger on his com, speaking, "Meet back at the Ghost, I've found Six and I'm bringing him back."

Then they moved.

The run to the ship wasn't nearly as bad as Ezra thought it would be. There were a few bucketheads here and there, but the most annoying thing was the fact that the sirens had returned to their screaming from before. It must have been noticed that another ship had docked.

Ezra was giddy when he saw the ship. He was even more giddy when he saw Sabine and Kanan standing on the entrance, shooting at the troopers that were following them. Ezra's shoulder ached again, but it hardly mattered now because as soon as he was running up the ramp, he was met with the familiar glow of his family.

It swallowed him up as soon as the doors sealed shut and the Ghost was flying away. Ezra looked back to see Cassius staring at them with a wary look. Ezra didn't know why he was surprised when Kanan yanked him away from the pirate forcefully, putting himself between them. Sabine pointed her blaster at the man, causing him to hold up his hands in surrender, but also with an annoyed look crossing his eyes.

"Wait!" Ezra ordered, trying to move around Kanan who was looking too closely at his injured shoulder.

Kanan spoked softly, "It's ok, Ezra. You're safe, let me see your shoulder."

There were so many questions at once. What happened? Why is the pirate here? Orders to see his shoulder and Ezra wanted to kick and scream and he wished Hera was here to listen to him because she would. She would listen. But, no, she was too busy flying them away.

"Stop, stop," Ezra slapped at Kanan's hands as he pulled down his collar and revealed the injury, along with the slave brand from before…

Kanan's body tensed and the world began to shift beneath Ezra's feet as Kanan moved away and began to land punches into Cassius' face. Ezra stumbled, his vision blurring with the pain of his injury as adrenaline began to melt away. All he could hear was Kanan's fist colliding with Cassius' face and for some reason Sabine and Zeb weren't stopping him.

Ezra stumbled forward, throwing himself into Kanan who was now on top of the pirate, landing painful punches into the other's left cheek. Ezra cried out in pain when he and Kanan landed before he began to scoot back over to Cassius in order to cover him from Kanan's bombarding hits.

Ezra held up a hand as Kanan stood and Ezra almost shrieked, "Ok, I know! I know it looks bad, but you have to listen!"

"Ezra he branded you!" Sabine snapped. "He deserves worse than that!"

"You're not listening to me," Ezra gasped, putting a hand over his injury and looking up at his teacher. It was the brand. The brand that had caused Kanan's face to change into something Ezra had never seen before. Cassius groaned behind him, holding his bloodied face with a careful hand. "Just listen to me. Listen to me, Kanan."

Kanan narrowed his eyes before crossing his arms over his chest, "I'm listening."

His knuckles were bleeding, Ezra noticed. He had been brutal. How…weird. How out of character. Kanan never…He never did that sort of thing. Ezra's stomach and shoulder ached terribly and he wanted nothing more than to sleep on this and contemplate it when he didn't feel like such shit.

Ezra dug through his pocket, pulling out the holocron. No one seemed to see it…Really see it or its importance besides Kanan whose eyes widened in shock. Ezra swallowed thickly and said, "He needed help. The Empire took this from him…It was his holocron and they took it. He needed to get it back, Kanan. It's his prized possession-"

"He probably stole it," Kanan hissed, stepping forward, but Ezra pushed a hand into the man's shin from his place on the floor to stop him from approaching any farther as Cassius lay silent, his eyes half-lidded.

"He didn't!" Ezra insisted. "He didn't, I swear. I know…I felt it…It was his father's."

Kanan opened his mouth, but Ezra cut in, "I know, Jedi couldn't have children, but his father did. He broke the rules and he gave this to him when the Jedi Purge happened."

Ezra knew he was stumbling over his words, but he really couldn't think straight at the moment. Right now he was focused on stopping Kanan's wrath and saving Cassius from anymore cruelty on his behalf.

Kanan's face began to melt slightly, turning less into rage, and more into shock. Ezra turned his head to Cassius before saying, "I can open it. I can open it now if you want me to and you can see the hope that your father was talking about."

Cassius said nothing, only stared in shock. In shock that Ezra was offering to open it for him. That even after all he had done to him, he was willing to let Cassius see the hope inside. See the faith his father had. What the holocron had to offer.

Cassius only whispered…

"Please."

Ezra nodded, turning to look up at Kanan who was stark still. Ezra shut his eyes, reaching out into the Force and into the holocron itself to grab the entrance. It swung open, like warm water over his body and when he opened his eyes again the object was floating before the group, a figure standing in the hologram before them.

It was a man. A man Ezra didn't know, but he was wearing robes much like Obi-Wan had been wearing in Kanan's own holocron. He looked concerned and Ezra looked back at Cassius, not having to ask to know that this was the man's father.

He was a spitting image.

" _Cassius,"_ The man spoke, almost regally. He sounded kind, but strong. He sounded educated. Ezra wanted to smile, but he fought it down. _"My son…If you're seeing this…Maybe things aren't as bad as we feared they would be. Because if you're seeing this…A Jedi has accessed it for you. And if there are still Jedi, then the world's balance hasn't completely been turned."_

The man paused, clearing his throat _, "I am sorry I can't be there. I'm afraid that it is not safe for you if I am around. They're hunting us. We're losing Jedi in devastating numbers, but I want you to know that…There is hope, Cassius. You are our hope. Children. Children to be born after you. Our future is our hope. I know you will grow into a strong young man. I know you will become something great for the galaxy. I've seen it."_

" _You and all of the other children are the future. They are the only ones who can save the Jedi. The ones who stop this…Empire from seizing power. Fight back…Be our hope. Grow up and be strong and brave. Fight back…You kids…You're the future of our republic."_

" _Save it. Revive it."_

" _I love you so much, Cassius."_

" _I love you so much."_

When it cut off, Ezra's heart clenched painfully. He looked back at Cassius, seeing the man's eyes brimming with unshed tears. Ezra reached out, grabbing Cassius' arm gently and squeezing.

There was his hope.

He had seen it…

And he could feel it.

* * *

Ezra kicked the sand below his feet, shifting his injured arm in its sling. He looked up, squinting his eyes as he stared out at the barren expanse of desert before him. The barren desert that he had no desire to ever see again on this insane moon.

Ezra sighed, his chest tickling slightly from the sand that he was still coughing up. The pain medicine Hera had given him a few hours after opening the holocron had been something strong and he had slept for hours afterward. He had tried to fight off the sling, but Hera had been…Insistent. And there was no arguing with an insistent Hera.

In the distance he could see the town that had been the hell hole he had unintentionally stepped into sometime earlier. He rolled his eyes. Next time he had a bad feeling about a place, he wasn't going anywhere near it. No way.

Ezra jumped when he felt a pat on his back and he turned hurriedly to see Cassius standing beside him. His head had been stitched by Hera personally. A sort of apology for Kanan's behavior, but also so she could inflict her own sort of torture upon the man. They hadn't exactly excused the branding, even if he was the son of a Jedi.

"Thinking about joining my own crew?" Cassius questioned, quirking a smirk. "I'm a lot more interesting than these guys anyway."

"Funny," Ezra scoffed. "I think I'll pass; you know to avoid any future incidents."

He held up his sling for further emphasis and Cassius laughed. He turned his face towards the town before he shrugged, "Maybe I'll get out of here one day. I'll find myself another ship and find something productive to do."

Ezra nodded…Cassius' father's words were still ringing in their ears. They were the future of the fallen Republic. They were meant to revive it.

And Cassius wasn't going to do any reviving swindling on a desolate moon full of pirates and thieves.

"Thank you."

Ezra's eyebrows furrowed and he looked over at Cassius in confusion. The pirate was looking down at him before he explained, "Thank you for opening it."

"Well, you didn't expect to just get it back without even trying to open it, did you?"

Cassius sighed, "It wasn't a part of the deal. So, thank you."

"Not everything is about deals," Ezra sighed. He turned and looked at the elder fully. "Sometimes…Sometimes it's important to just do good things for people. It's important to take care of others who need it. It proves we're different."

"Different from who?" Cassius questioned.

"The Empire," Ezra said simply. "Because, at the end of the day, our enemies aren't pirates, or thieves, or anyone like that. Our enemy is the Empire. They're the ones who make us this way. Who make us desperate."

Ezra watched Cassius' face contort into curiosity. Then it melted into realization. Cassius reached out, squeezing Ezra's good shoulder before whispering, "You're what he was talking about. You're the hope."

Ezra opened his mouth to argue, but Cassius was hugging him. Ezra was surprised slightly, the hug ending just as soon as it started. Cassius ruffled his hair, beginning to walk away towards the town in the distance.

"Wait!" Ezra called, causing Cassius to pause and turn. Ezra bit the inside of his cheek anxiously before continuing, "Keep freeing them. As many as you can. That's hope. That's what he was talking about."

Cassius smiled. He really smiled…

And then he was gone.

Ezra wasn't sure how long he stood there. It was long after Cassius' form had disappeared into the distance. It was long after the heat had turned to bitter cold and the sun had set in the background.

Ezra only blinked when he felt Kanan's gentle hand on his arm, tugging on him slightly.

"You need to sleep," Kanan said. "You've had a long day."

Ezra looked back over his shoulder, taking a moment to stare at his master before smiling brightly up at him. He wrapped his good arm around his middle, squeezing tightly.

Ezra whispered, "Thanks for coming for me."

The boy felt Kanan's arm wrap around his shoulders before he whispered…

"Always, kid. Always."


End file.
